[Mgs] front end diagnosis

[Glenn Schnittke]

The clunking noises may or may not be related. But take care of the 
shock bolts first. That's bad.

As was said, the front shock is part of the overall geometry of the 
front end design. As designed it is a very solid system with a few 
recognized weaknesses. If you read the owners manual it mentions 
tightening the shock holding bolts every quarter or half year. I have 
done this and found that even with good lock washers they will loosen 
about a half to three quarters of a turn in that time. Tightening them 
up will reduce play in the system noticeably. They wouldn't have 
mentioned it in the manual if they didn't have a reason. They really 
want to be at torque value and if you only have one bolt, it's trying to 
do the job of two.

You said "must have the nut stripped and won't hold a bolt." It's not a 
nut. It's tapped into the plate that the shock sits on. If you have the 
capability to deal with a Helicoil type restoration of the threads that 
have been stripped out you should do so. If not, a local machine shop, 
garage or fellow club member (you do belong to a club don't you? If you 
don't, there's one in your area.) will probably be able to help you out. 
Restore the threads and tighten all four shock bolts down to specified 
torque. I think it's around 50 pounds but I could be off by 10 in either 
direction - my books are asleep with my wife in the other room and I'm 
not going to wake her up.

If the clunk is still there, then you do have other problems, but you've 
just taken care of one of the worst of them.

Check your shock. Is one of the shock arms damp? Then the oil has been 
seeping out and you're slowly going dry. Check the level. Remove the 
bolt at the top of the unit *AFTER* cleaning it off well. It's the fill 
plug. If oil drips out at the bottom of the hole you should be okay. If 
not, refill with hydraulic oil of any kind. Racers and picky people 
specify certain types and weights. Just get some oil in there and be 
sure it's hydraulic.

Your car should handle much better after this. If not, you can invest in 
a pair (don't just buy one) of rebuilt shocks (not terribly expensive 
after core charge) or replace with gas shocks (a little more expensive, 
but *I* don't think they handle as well as the originals [Nomex alert. 
If you want to comment on that, start anther thread]).

If you still have a clunk, make sure your crossmember bolts are tight 
against the frame (and the rubber pads aren't eaten by years and oil) 
and your kingpins are in shape. A cleverly placed long-handled prybar 
will help diagnose this. Again, refer to a local garage if need be.

You don't need to dismantle your entire front end to get to the problem. 
You can do it one piece at a time and in your backyard or garage. Get 
both the Bentley book and the Haynes manual if you don't have them. The 
car will teach you what it needs if you have those books and an 
analytical mind and want to learn. Fun, isn't it?

Glenn




> From: Duvall Video Productions <mike at duvallvideo.com>
> Subject: [Mgs] front end diagnosis
> To: mgs at autox.team.net
> Message-ID: <4C60E002-3C53-4424-B365-C5E9BE7D4626 at duvallvideo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> This winter, I discovered my MGB left front shock had a bolt missing and
> another was loose both on the wheel side.   I tightened the loose one down but
> the missing bolt must have the nut stripped and won't hold a bolt.     Now the
> car vibrates a lot at 50 or 60 mph and has made a couple of loud clunking
> noises in that area.  I thought the clunk might be the shock loosened up again
> but it hasn't.
>
> Would this likely be a bad shock or a something frozen up?   What should I
> look for before I start taking the front end apart?